1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to bail tripping devices; more particularly, to spinning reel bail tripping devices for returning the bail armxe2x80x94fitted to allow for pivoting between line-winding and line-releasing positions, on the rotor mounted rotatively to the reel body of spinning reelsxe2x80x94from the line-releasing position to the line-winding position in cooperation with rotor rotation in the line-winding direction.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, spinning reel rotors are equipped with a bail arm for guiding fishing line to the spool. The bail arm can assume a line-winding position, in which the fishing line is circumferentially guided onto the spool when the fishing line is being taken up, and a line-releasing position, in which the bail arm is flipped over from the line-winding position so that it does not get in the way when the fishing line is reeled out from the spool. The rotor is provided with a bail tripping device, which sustains the bail arm in the line-winding position and the line-releasing position, and restores the bail arm from the line-releasing position to the line-winding position in cooperation with rotor rotation in the line-winding direction.
As a conventional bail tripping device, the device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Pat. App. No. 10-4839 is known. This device includes: a toggle spring, fitted to the rotor, whose tip is interlocked with the bail arm in vicinity of its pivotal center; a shifting member the tip of which is interlocked with the bail arm in the vicinity of its pivotal center, and the base end of which shifts back and forth in the reel body orientation; and a switching protrusion furnished on the reel body for contact with the shifting member. The toggle spring toggles the bail arm between and urges it into two positions, and retains the bail arm in the two positions. When the bail arm is pivoted into the line-releasing position, the shifting member retreats into a position in contact with the switching protrusion. Then, when the rotor rotates in the line-winding direction, the shifting member comes into contact with the switching protrusion and is advanced: the toggle spring contracts due to the advancement, and the bail arm is returned into the line-winding position by the toggle spring.
When fishing line is reeled out by casting a spinning reel thus, reverse rotation of the rotor is blocked; and after catching the fishing line with the thick of the index finger, the bail arm is tripped into the line-releasing position. At this time the rotor is turned to bring the line roller at the one junction of the bail arm and the bail up toward the fishing rod, to make it easy to catch the fishing line with the finger. Then, in the course of flinging down the fishing rod, the index finger is released from the fishing line, and the tackle""s arrival on the water is awaited. After the tackle has hit the water and the tackle has submerged suitably, the handle is reeled slightly and the bail tripping mechanism returns the bail arm into the line-winding position.
When fishing line reels out following a cast or under the weight of the tackle during trolling, an operation known as xe2x80x9cfeatheringxe2x80x9d is carried to keep the line from getting out of control: after the bail arm has been tripped into the line-releasing position, the leading rim of the spool is pressed with the tip of the index finger, and the thick of the index finger is brought into contact with the fishing line. At the time, the rotor is turned into a position in which the bail arm does not get in the way.
With conventional spinning reels, when the bail arm is in the line-releasing position if counter-rotation is blocked by a counter-rotation check mechanism, the rotor will not rotate in the line reel-out direction. Nevertheless, sometimes the rotor turns in the line reel-in direction. Lately in order to achieve high take-up efficiency the rotational balance of rotors has been improved, which has made them light and made them spin easily. Therefore, in spinning reels having improved rotational balance rotation briefly in the line-winding direction is likely. When the rotor turns, though the rotor has been turned into rotational phases suitable for casting or feathering respectively, the rotor rotational phase is liable to deviate.
In order to prevent this, in conventional configurations a braking member that comes into contact with the reel body and brakes the rotor is fitted to the shifting member. When the shifting member shifts into contact position, the braking member comes into contact with the front surface of the reel body and is compressed, braking the rotor. Thus elastically braking the rotor when the bail is tripped prevents the rotor from turning, and meanwhile the rotor can be turned in the line-winding direction as needed.
In the foregoing conventional configuration, the shifting-member-attached braking member coming into contact with the reel body and being compressed brakes the rotor. Therefore, the amount by which the braking member is compressed fluctuates with front-rear variation in the shifting member contact position due to manufacturing tolerances or margin of error in attachment. Fluctuations in the amount of compression vary the braking force on the rotor, such that the rotor is not stably braked.
An object of the present invention is, in a spinning reel bail tripping device wherein the rotor when in the line-releasing position is brakable, to enable the rotor to be braked stably regardless of fluctuations in the amount by which the shifting member shifts.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a spinning reel bail tripping device for returning a bail arm, which can be pivoted between a line-winding position and a line-releasing position and is attached to a rotor mounted rotatively to a reel body of a spinning reel, from the line-releasing position to the line-winding position when the rotor rotates in line-winding direction, includes a shifting mechanism, a switching member, and a braking member. The shifting mechanism includes a shifting member that is provided in the rotor and shifts, when the bail arm pivots, between a first position corresponding to the line-winding position and a second position corresponding to the line-releasing position, the shifting member having a first end which rotatively engages with a position near the pivot center of the bail arm, and a second end that protrudes toward a front portion of the reel body facing the rotor when the shifting member is in the second position. The switching member is arranged at the front of the reel body, and, when the rotor rotates in line-winding direction, the switching member contacts the protruding second end of the shifting member in the second position, shifting the shifting member toward the first position. The braking member is arranged at the front of the reel body, and has a braking surface provided with an even peripheral surface over at least a portion of its circumference, wherein the protruding second end of the shifting member in the second position can contact the braking surface.
When the bail arm is tripped with this bail tripping device from the line-winding position to the line-releasing position, the second end of the shifting member contacts the front surface of the braking member and then shifts into the second position while contacting the even braking surface provided on the periphery of the braking member. As a result, the rotor is braked. In this braking state, the second end of the shifting member contacts the braking surface provided on the peripheral surface of a braking member, so that when the position of the shifting member shifts (that is, when the second position shifts), the second end of the shifting member still contacts the braking member. Therefore, the rotor can be braked gently, regardless of the shifting of the shifting member.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a spinning reel bail tripping device as in the first aspect, the first end of the shifting member is bent toward a vicinity of the pivoting center of the bail arm so as to be oriented substantially in parallel to the pivot axis, the second end is bent toward a rotation axis of the rotor, and between the first end and the second end, the shifting member is arranged substantially in parallel to a rotation axis of the rotor. The first end is rotatively engaged with the bail arm, and the second end is shiftably engaged with the rotor. With this configuration, when the bail arm pivots, the first end of the shifting member, which is oriented substantially in parallel to the pivot axis and engaged with the bail arm, swings around the pivot axis. Thus, the second end of the pivot member, which is engaged with the rotor and points toward the rotation axis of the rotor, shifts horizontally. By engaging the hook-shaped first end of the shifting member with the bail arm and engaging the second end shiftably with the rotor, the pivoting motion of the bail arm can be converted in a straightforward manner to a linear horizontal motion of the second end of the shifting member.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a spinning reel bail tripping device as in the first or second aspect, an end surface of the second end of the shifting member is rounded. With this configuration, the end surface of the shifting member that contacts the braking member is rounded, so that the shifting member can be shifted smoothly while contacting the braking member.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in a spinning reel bail tripping device as in any of the first to third aspects, the shifting mechanism includes a toggle spring mechanism, one end of which engages rotatively with the bail arm, the toggle spring mechanism toggling and biasing the bail arm into the line-winding position and the line-releasing position. With this configuration, the bail arm can be held reliably in the two positions.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in a spinning reel bail tripping device as in any of the first to fourth aspects, the switching member has a first oblique surface whose leading side with respect to a line-winding rotation of the rotor protrudes further from the front of the reel body towards the rotor than its trailing side. With this configuration, when the rotor starts to rotate in the line-winding direction, the shifting member contacts the first oblique surface of the switching member and is gradually pushed toward the rotor, returning the bail arm to the line-winding position. Thus, the bail arm can be smoothly restored to the line-winding position by the first oblique surface.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in a spinning reel bail tripping device as in the fifth aspect, the switching member further has a second oblique surface, formed in continuation with the protruding portion of the first oblique surface, the second oblique surface receding from the protruding portion of the first oblique surface towards the leading side with respect to the line-winding rotation of the rotor. With this configuration, a second oblique surface is provided, arranged at an angle to the first oblique surface. By forming this second oblique surface, when the rotor is rotated in the direction rolling off line and the shifting member contacts the switching member, the shifting member is smoothly guided by the second oblique surface, and is less easily damaged.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in a spinning reel bail tripping device as in any of the first to sixth aspects, the braking member is a substantially annular elastic member with a rectangular cross section, that can be contacted by the shifting member and is provided at the front of the reel body. With this configuration, it is possible to extend the range of rotational orientations in which the rotor can be braked.
From the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art.